Patrick Henry Hwy.
Carrying Patrick Henry Hwy. over Piney River
.00 AMH CL / .00 NEL CL, Amherst, Virginia
Inventory: FHWA NBI 2024 · last ETL August 2026
FHWA NBI record, refreshed with each annual release.
Patrick Henry Hwy. in Amherst, Virginia sits above 67% of rated Virginia bridges on inventory load rating (54 t), while its 1970 build year is earlier than 50% of Amherst's recorded-year cohort (157 bridges).
Patrick Henry Hwy. in Amherst, Virginia is rated Fair in the FHWA's 2024 National Bridge Inventory. Built in 1970, it carries 3 rated components on the inspecting agency's 0-9 scale, and its weakest reported component scores 6. The lowest applicable rating sets the federal condition category, so this Fair result describes the weakest reported component rather than the structure as a whole. No NBI category is a closure decision or a live crossing-safety verdict.
NBI record plate
Structure VA:000000000001394
INTERSTATE-ERA · STEEL · SINGLE-SPAN · TIED-CTRL · ARTERIAL-ADT · HEAVY-LOAD · CAT-FAIR
- INTERSTATE-ERA 1950–1979
- STEEL Steel
- SINGLE-SPAN Single span
- TIED-CTRL Tied control
- ARTERIAL-ADT Arterial ADT
- HEAVY-LOAD Heavy load
- CAT-FAIR Fair
Inspection-sheet codes from this record’s year, material family, spans, controlling component, ADT, inventory load, and NBI category, not a live closure verdict.
Bridge Snapshot: Patrick Henry Hwy.
The Patrick Henry Hwy. bridge in Amherst, Virginia carries Patrick Henry Hwy. over Piney River. It was built in 1970, making it 56 years old today. The structure is built primarily of steel and spans 1 section, stretching 30.8 meters (101 feet) end to end. Daily traffic averages 2,269 vehicles, placing it in the moderately-trafficked tier of Virginia bridges. It is owned and maintained by State Highway Agency.
The latest FHWA inspection records show a deck rating of 6/9, superstructure at 6/9, substructure at 6/9. The weakest component sits in fair condition. All reported major components score above the Poor range.
How Patrick Henry Hwy. compares
Age against the county: built in 1970, earlier than 78 of Amherst's 157 bridges with a recorded construction year (50%), against a county median build year of 1970.
Live comparison across Virginia bridges with a recorded inventory load rating (14,112 of 14,120 rated).
Patrick Henry Hwy. vs every rated Virginia bridge
Inventory load rating (metric tons), FHWA NBI, this state
54 Top 33% higher than 67% of 14,112 bridges
rated Virginia bridges, bucketed by value
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more bridges. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source FHWA National Bridge Inventory · August 2026
Condition Ratings
Full 0–9 scale + sufficiency-rating breakdown: how condition ratings work.
Reported 0–9 component ratings from the FHWA NBI. The highlighted component is the lowest reported input to this record’s current condition category; it is not a closure or live crossing-safety decision.
Amherst inventory by recorded NBI category
Exclusive Good/Fair/Poor bands across all 157 bridges in this county. Orthogonal to this structure's component profile above: a county catalog share, not a live crossing-safety verdict.
Structural Details
- Year Built
- 1970
- Material
- Steel
- Number of Spans
- 1
- Structure Length
- 30.8 m (101 ft)
- Deck Width
- 10.3 m (34 ft)
- Owner
- State Highway Agency
- Avg Daily Traffic
- 2,269 vehicles/day
- Structure Number
- 000000000001394
Condition Analysis
- • The deck (driving surface) is in fair condition (6/9), with minor deterioration that may require routine maintenance.
- • The superstructure (beams and supports above the deck) is in fair condition (6/9), with minor deterioration that may require routine maintenance.
- • At 6/9, the substructure (piers and abutments) shows fair condition, with minor wear flagged for upkeep.
Location
Data Source
FHWA National Bridge Inventory (NBI).
FHWA NBI Program ↗How to read this record
This page shows what the last federal inspection recorded, not whether Patrick Henry Hwy. is safe to cross today. Here is how to use it.
- NBI condition ratings reflect the latest record in this annual dataset, not a live status. Current routine inspection intervals are risk-based.
- Learn how the 0–9 condition scale and Good/Fair/Poor categories are defined. How condition ratings work
- Compare Patrick Henry Hwy. against other structures in Amherst and across Virginia. Virginia bridges
- Noticed visible damage or a safety concern? Report it to the agency that owns the bridge, or call 911 in an emergency. How to report a bridge
Condition codes come straight from the FHWA National Bridge Inventory and are not a real-time safety judgment. Only the owning agency, a state DOT, county, or other owner, can post, restrict, or close a bridge.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do the condition ratings mean for Patrick Henry Hwy.?
Patrick Henry Hwy. in Amherst, Virginia has a deck rating of 6/9, superstructure rating of 6/9, and substructure rating of 6/9 on the FHWA's 0–9 scale.
How often is Patrick Henry Hwy. inspected?
Patrick Henry Hwy.'s responsible agency sets its routine interval under FHWA's risk-based inspection rules; this page does not expose the scheduled interval. It carries about 2,269 vehicles per day.
What does “structurally deficient” mean in older bridge reports?
FHWA retired that reported status beginning with the 2018 archive. Patrick Henry Hwy. is currently shown as Fair condition from its component ratings; that category is not a live closure or safety decision.
What is the inventory load rating for Patrick Henry Hwy.?
Patrick Henry Hwy. has an NBI inventory load rating of 53.5 metric tons.
Who is responsible for maintaining Patrick Henry Hwy.?
Patrick Henry Hwy. is owned and maintained by State Highway Agency.
How old is Patrick Henry Hwy. and does age affect safety?
Patrick Henry Hwy. was built in 1970, making it 56 years old.
Disclaimer: Bridge condition data is from the FHWA NBI and reflects the last reported inspection. A Poor condition rating is not a live declaration that a bridge is closed or unsafe for travel. For current closure, posting, or safety information, contact the responsible transportation agency.
Share this inspection record
Send this source-bounded record or download its data card. An NBI condition category is not a closure or live crossing-safety verdict.
Every figure on PlainBridges is rendered directly from federal source data, no number is typed in by an editor. Component ratings, ADT, and condition category on this page are copied from the NBI record for this structure; no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2024 NBI release. NBI condition categories reflect the latest reported inventory record, not a live safety, closure, or travel decision.